Capps captured his first NHRA championship Saturday afternoon in the final qualifying session for Sunday’s Auto Club Finals. The 51-year-old from Carlsbad, who had finished second four times, finally broke through

“I’ve been waiting a long time to hear those words,” Capps said after being presented the championship trophy by NHRA president Peter Clifford after his 1,000-foot pass against Matt Hagen, whose two-year reign of the class ended. “I almost gave up, this is for the fans.

“I wish I coud break this trophy into a trillion piece. There are a lot of fans who would enjoy this.”

Capps, a student of the sport’s history, was nearly overwhelmed by the irony of the situation.

“I’m so proud, I can’t tell you how much. Wally Parks Boulevard, it just doesn’t get much better than this,” Capps said. His wife Shelley, who encouraged him to stay in the sport after their marriage in November, 1992, was the first to greet him upon his exit from the Napa-sponsored Dodge Charger following the historic run.

Don Scumacher Racing teammate Jack Beckman posted the quickest time in the class. He recorded the second-quickest time ever in NHRA history, a 3.825 second at 332.10 mph. Courtney Force, Tommy Johnson and John Force finished ahead of Capps in qualifying.

“It was a number,” Beckman said about the pass, “but it got the fans so excited.”

So did the Capps run.

“This really has sunk in yet,” said Capps, who will face Chad Head in the first-round in today’s final eliminations. “I can’t even tell you, man. I’ve been trying to do this for so long, and I almost gave up on that fact and said, ‘I’m just going to keep trying to win races,’ but this is for the fans.

“My fans and my team’s fans are the best fans in the world. To be Mello Yello champion and they can’t take that away from my name anymore, that’s amazing.”

Capps also took time to thank and chronicle the efforts of crew chief Rohn Tobler.

“I’m telling you he had a look the whole season. He was focused. I just knew this was going to be it. It’s hard to tell in a year, but he had a look,” said Capps. “We crashed the car in Indy. He was so focused. He had our guys working overtime, and he had a car ready to go. He’s a hell of a leader, and we’re going to have fun together.

“Most off, the competitors. To take the crown from Del Worsham, who I thought represented Mello Yello, Coca-Cola, and our sport as good as anybody ever has – and we’ve had some great champions – I’m so proud. I can’t tell you how proud I am. This is epic right here.”

Pro Stock

Jason Line increased his lead over Summit Racing teammate Greg Anderson to 23 points, better than one round, by taking the top qualifying spot, his eighth of the season. Line, a previous two-time champion, covered the quarter-mile in 6.545 seconds at 211.33 mph to edge Bo Butner, another KB Racing entry.

Anderson was third, just ahead of Vincent Nobile of the Upland-based Mountain View Tire team.

“It’ll be a storybook ending, to duke it out in the finals,” said Line. “That would be pretty cool. But no matter who wins, it’s been a great year. There’s no reason not to be relaxed.”

Line and Anderson are in different bracket, with Butner on the same side as the points leader.

“(Sunday) could be a big deal, or nothing,” Line said, “but we have the potential to meet in the finals.”

Pro Stock Motorcycle

The tightest of the four pro classes features three riders separated by 13 points. Jerry Savoie continued his domination of the class by posting the quickest times in both Saturday qualifying sessions to increase his point byfour points over defending champion Eddie Krawiec and 13 ahead of Andrew Hines.

Savoie covered the 1,320-foot run in 6.825 seconds at 194.97 mph, sightly better than the 6.828 at 196.40 posted by Krawiec. Hector Arana Jr. edged Hines for the third spot.

However, don’t look for Savoie to race in the left lane, unless he loses lane choice. On Friday, he rode his Suzuki into the sand trap and his crew worked the night to clean his ride.

“I don’t want the left lane; it’s nothing against the track,” Savoie said. “It’s just the shutdown area. There are bumps in the left lane.”

Presidential residue

It’s not often the presidential race impacts drag racing, but Donald Trump’s victory on Tuesday will change the look of the NHRA Top Fuel field in 2017.

Morgan Lucas confirmed to Competitionplus.com on Saturday his team will not field an entry for the 2017 Mello Yello Series. Richie Crampton was the team driver this season, making the Coutdown but failed to win a national event.

Two years ago, Lucas stepped out of the car as its full-time racer to concentrate on learning the family’s business, Lucas Oil Products, in Corona. Forrest Lucas, the company founder, is among those rumored to be considered for a cabinet post in the upcoming Trump administration.

“We are going to retain our involvement with NHRA Sportsman Series and race sponsorships. For us, I think it is obvious to fans, that we are involved in the sport whether the team is running or not,” the younger Lucas told Susan Wade. “It’s been ten years of a lot of highs and lows, … a lot of successes and a lot of failures … established a good team, a very competitive team at times. There are a lot of changes going on in my life and my father’s life, a lot of things happening within the company. It’s just time to move on from team ownership.”

Pit notes

For the first time since Dallas in 2014, Kalitta Motorsports has the top two Top Fuel qualifiers. J.R. Todd covered the 1,000 feet in a career-best 3.680 seconds at 327.82 mph for his first pole of the year, edging Doug Kalitta’s 3.709 at 327.90. Redlands’ Leah Pritchett was fifth while Brittany Force was eighth. … Both John Force and teammate Robert Hight were disqualified on the last qualifying run. Force hit the wall and Hight hit a cone. Force will start fourth and Hight sixth. La Verne’s Jeff Arend, subbing for injured Alexis DeJoria in Funny Car, will be 10th and Paul Lee of Orange 11th. … Placentia’s Fred Camarena qualified 14th in Pro Stock Motorcycle. … Jeff Strickland won a second national champion on Saturday, this time in Stock eliminator with a win over former two-time national champ Brad Burton. Only he and Scotty Richardson (1994) have accomplished the feat, Strickland took the Top Dragster title two weeks ago in Las Vegas.

Lou Brewster is a nationally recognized motorsports journalist who has staffed NASCAR and NHRA events since 1969. Has also staffed high school football, in five different states, since 1967. Has won several national awards in writing and breaking news.

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